LBL report

[Bone Collector]

We drew the gun hunt this past Friday and Saturday. Got in Thursday, and I went to where I killed my 10 pt in 2016. My brother was with me. Thought I took him out a ridge to a spot I had virtually scouted with topo maps. Issue is my phone wasn't getting service so I couldn't get my map up. Ended up across the holler from where I meant to take him. It ended up being a good spot as the deer were coming through the terrain funnels and dropping over the ridge into the holler and he was just on the other side of it. They were wide open up there. My brother killed a under performing 10 pt. Saw it pushing a doe and got excited. It had some ground shrinkage, but he hasn't killed many nice bucks. Also he has never hunted a place like LBL that has a lot of hills and hollers while the deer are running good. They aged the deer at 3.5 years old, he just had a small rack. It had pretty good brow tines, decent mass, but had shorter tines, and a..... 12 3/4 inside spread. Main beams were about 16 3/8 inches. It won't score much, but I was happy he got one. I saw chasing but nothing I wanted to shoot. He had to leave Friday because his son had a championship soccer game on Saturday, and the drag of his deer told me that I needed to go too, as I didn't think I had it in me to get a big one out alone. Between us we saw 17-18 deer Friday AM. I hunted the afternoon and he waited on me in case, but all I saw was a small buck cruising. I feel like I might have done good on Saturday AM but my legs are so sore now, that I know that I would have had major issues getting one out alone, so old age is making me change the way I hunt, but that is the way it goes.

 

[pockets]

Good deal. Congrats.

 

[bigtex]

That's a cool looking Buck, congrats to your brother.
Hate you had to throw in the towel, but I know the feeling.

 

[megalomaniac]

Congrats to your brother and for you putting him in a spot to encounter him

 

[Volbuck777]

Good looking buck congratulations

 

[rmmonty32]

Looks like a buck id be proud of any day!

 

[Bone Collector]

Looks like a buck id be proud of any day!

that is what I told him. He was worried about it, asking me if I would have shot it.. I told him if my heart rate got up yes. He has two tags. LBL is public land (albeit pressure is lighter due to limited gun hunts), but it is still public. Also you're there for 2 days. You have no idea what is in the area. If the deer makes your heart rate go up, pull the trigger and be happy.

 

[REM7]

Congrats to him on a fine buck

 

[cbhunter]

Sounds like a great hunt! Very cool buck

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

nice buck

 

[tnanh]

I definitely don't think that deer is an under achiever. If he likes him he should not care what anyone else says. Nice buck, anywhere, any place.

 

[TNhunter]

Good deal. Congrats.

Me and my son hunted area 15 and it sounded like a war. It was the MOST shots I've heard at LBL in 15 years or more. Was a lot of shooting not sure how much killin was going on cause we didn't stop at the check station on the way out. Had two shots less than 100 yards from my yesterday morning. I only saw four deer all yesterday morning. My son saw 4-5 Fri (one small buck). And he saw 8 yesterday (one nice 8 came running right under him he couldn't get him to stop or get a shot).

 

[xtremedeerman]

Congrats

 

[DoubleRidge]

Congrats to your brother....nice buck

 

[Bone Collector]

Me and my son hunted area 15 and it sounded like a war. It was the MOST shots I've heard at LBL in 15 years or more. Was a lot of shooting not sure how much killin was going on cause we didn't stop at the check station on the way out. Had two shots less than 100 yards from my yesterday morning. I only saw four deer all yesterday morning. My son saw 4-5 Fri (one small buck). And he saw 8 yesterday (one nice 8 came running right under him he couldn't get him to stop or get a shot).

yeah it did sound like a war. some folks were shooting 4 and 5 times. Probably at buck running does. I also wondered how many people shot hogs and left them laying. I have never seen a hog there, nor any sign. There were a few at the check station. one pretty wide 10 pt., but we didn't get there until 10-10:30. probably missed a bunch.

 

[Crappieaddict]

Nice buck in my book!

 

[Chief44]

That's a good deer. He should be proud. Congrats.

 

[Antler Daddy]

I would not pass that buck at LBL! You only have 2 days. Congratulations!

 

[Jmed]

Get you a frame pack and quarter and pack em out. You can go as far as to de bone and fit a whole whitetail on your back. walking out with em on your back is way more comfortable and less time consuming that the ole drag method. Nice buck!

 

[Deer Assassin]

Great buck

 

[rifle02]

Nothing at all wrong with that buck! He did well to shoot that one.

 

[Jaahspike]

that is what I told him. He was worried about it, asking me if I would have shot it.. I told him if my heart rate got up yes. He has two tags. LBL is public land (albeit pressure is lighter due to limited gun hunts), but it is still public. Also you're there for 2 days. You have no idea what is in the area. If the deer makes your heart rate go up, pull the trigger and be happy.

I agree with this totally! Shoot what makes you happy and you will always enjoy hunting! Trying to please other hunters is a battle you will lose EVERY TIME! Takes the gun out of hunting as well!

 

[Bone Collector]

Get you a frame pack and quarter and pack em out. You can go as far as to de bone and fit a whole whitetail on your back. walking out with em on your back is way more comfortable and less time consuming that the ole drag method. Nice buck!

what about checking them in? do they give you crap if all you bring them is a head? I thought about this, but they go through the whole weighing, jaw bone aging, etc. I don't know if they will let you quarter them up and bring them a head?

 

[BlasterPits]

We drew the gun hunt this past Friday and Saturday. Got in Thursday, and I went to where I killed my 10 pt in 2016. My brother was with me. Thought I took him out a ridge to a spot I had virtually scouted with topo maps. Issue is my phone wasn't getting service so I couldn't get my map up. Ended up across the holler from where I meant to take him. It ended up being a good spot as the deer were coming through the terrain funnels and dropping over the ridge into the holler and he was just on the other side of it. They were wide open up there. My brother killed a under performing 10 pt. Saw it pushing a doe and got excited. It had some ground shrinkage, but he hasn't killed many nice bucks. Also he has never hunted a place like LBL that has a lot of hills and hollers while the deer are running good. They aged the deer at 3.5 years old, he just had a small rack. It had pretty good brow tines, decent mass, but had shorter tines, and a..... 12 3/4 inside spread. Main beams were about 16 3/8 inches. It won't score much, but I was happy he got one. I saw chasing but nothing I wanted to shoot. He had to leave Friday because his son had a championship soccer game on Saturday, and the drag of his deer told me that I needed to go too, as I didn't think I had it in me to get a big one out alone. Between us we saw 17-18 deer Friday AM. I hunted the afternoon and he waited on me in case, but all I saw was a small buck cruising. I feel like I might have done good on Saturday AM but my legs are so sore now, that I know that I would have had major issues getting one out alone, so old age is making me change the way I hunt, but that is the way it goes.

Nice congrats

 

[KPH]

way to go

 

[JT262]

We drew the gun hunt this past Friday and Saturday. Got in Thursday, and I went to where I killed my 10 pt in 2016. My brother was with me. Thought I took him out a ridge to a spot I had virtually scouted with topo maps. Issue is my phone wasn't getting service so I couldn't get my map up. Ended up across the holler from where I meant to take him. It ended up being a good spot as the deer were coming through the terrain funnels and dropping over the ridge into the holler and he was just on the other side of it. They were wide open up there. My brother killed a under performing 10 pt. Saw it pushing a doe and got excited. It had some ground shrinkage, but he hasn't killed many nice bucks. Also he has never hunted a place like LBL that has a lot of hills and hollers while the deer are running good. They aged the deer at 3.5 years old, he just had a small rack. It had pretty good brow tines, decent mass, but had shorter tines, and a..... 12 3/4 inside spread. Main beams were about 16 3/8 inches. It won't score much, but I was happy he got one. I saw chasing but nothing I wanted to shoot. He had to leave Friday because his son had a championship soccer game on Saturday, and the drag of his deer told me that I needed to go too, as I didn't think I had it in me to get a big one out alone. Between us we saw 17-18 deer Friday AM. I hunted the afternoon and he waited on me in case, but all I saw was a small buck cruising. I feel like I might have done good on Saturday AM but my legs are so sore now, that I know that I would have had major issues getting one out alone, so old age is making me change the way I hunt, but that is the way it goes.

Nothing wrong with that buck congrats sounded like fun

 

[Specializedjon]

That's a respectable buck anywhere. Congrats to your brother. I hunted LBL two weeks ago, had to leave to go pick up my son at the airport...then the pictures started pinging on my phone....11 pt....then a 10 pt....then some does. It was heartbreaking, but that's life. The 10 pt buck was the one I bumped walking in Saturday a.m. He was shot right were I bumped him. It's beautiful up there and we had a great group of guys.

 

[TNhunter]

Btw I don't think you can debone them and check them in that way at lbl. Might want to check with the check station before doing that.

 

[htr2133]

Congrats to your brother, nothing wrong with that buck at all!

I was in 15 and there was some shooting. Accd to the board when I saw it checking in my doe, 15 was a hot unit. I shot my doe on Fri. afternoon after watching her for 30 min. in a big open drainage. Finally figured big boy wasn't coming after her. I passed a decent 8 on Sat. morning, but just wasn't what I was looking for and I really wasn't up for getting another deer out unless it was a personal best.

This was my first gun hunt at LBL and really the first time to hunt LBL in rut. Everyone I spoke to was going in deep and some of our neighbors at Piney Campground had some nice bucks from unit 13. I stuck to within a mile of pavement and hunted high on ridges mostly. Saw does and small bucks every sit. I guess the does I was seeing just weren't ready or had already been bred. Or the big boys were in thicker creek bottoms and drainage systems. Love LBL and the feeling of room to roam and potential of a bigger bucks at every crunch of the leaves!

 

[BigAl]

That's a good buck anywhere, and being public land makes it better. Congrats to your bro!